A dispute has developed between Electrolux and the Australian Workers’ Union over wages lost when a toxic chemical spill shut the plant.
The Edward Street factory shut down for two full shifts on December 4 and 5 after it was discovered a liquid chemical used in the polyurethane foam insulation of the refrigerator cabinets was leaking from a holding tank.
More than 640 workers were told not to come to work.
A spokesman for Electrolux said the workers were subsequently given the option of using the lost shift to reduce the number of peak hours or overtime they had accrued, or counting the shift as leave.
He said most of the affected workers had accepted one of these options and they had not in any way been penalised financially.
The closure of the plant was due to circumstances beyond the control of the company and as such the company invoked the stand-down provisions contained in the award, the spokesman said.
However, the AWU’s NSW State Branch president Mick Madden said the union was challenging this position.
It believed the company should have ensured the holding tank and associated equipment were properly installed and maintained in working order.
It was therefore within the ability of the company to ensure there was no spill, he said.
He also argued the workers were being penalised financially by being asked to take the lost time from their overtime or leave allowances. By doing so, they were missing out on that overtime or leave, he said.
Mr Madden said the union would make an application to the Industrial Relations Commission seeking to have the workers paid for the lost shift.
From yourguide.orange